My Journey to Immortal Life
by LadiSani
Summary: Thirteen years after end of book 9 Sookie has decided to be turned. During those years what has happened to make her choose this fate. AU - M for later chapters. Trying to incorporate newer books as well.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is a story that has been bouncing around in my head for a while. Thanks to Sunkisz for serving as my comma police and correcting my grammatical errors. Also I want to thank LaniLani26 and Dancinchick 32 of their feedback on the story content. I have made changes since so all errors are mine alone.**

**While I wish I did, I do not own these characters. They belong to the brilliant Charlaine Harris.**

**Prologue - Introduction**

My name is Sookie Stackhouse. I am the telepathic bonded, pledged and legal human wife of the Vampire King of Louisiana, Nevada, and Arkansas, Eric Northman. Today is the last day of my life. No, I'm not killing myself, so get that silly thought out of your head. My husband is going to kill me. You see, today is my 40th birthday and it will also be the start of my immortal life. I haven't made this decision lightly. In fact, it took me over a decade to make it. Let me tell you a little about myself and you will understand everything perfectly.

I grew up in Bon Temps, a small, backwoods town in Louisiana. My parents died when I was seven, leaving my brother and me to be raised by our Gran. Gran was your typical strong Southern woman. She was an active member of the local Descendants of the Glorious Dead chapter and her church, of course. Gran taught us to have a strong work ethic, to be loyalty and to show kindness. I don't think I could say enough about her. She was my world until she was murdered by a serial killer. I feel guilty about that. Rene was after me when he came to our home that evening. You see, he had a problem with vampires and I had just befriended our neighbor and local vampire, Bill Compton. Rene was responsible for the deaths of several young women in Bon Temps who socialized with vampires. After learning about the existence of vampires, my world grew by leaps and bounds. I learned after a short time about the existence of weres of all types and fairies.

My brother Jason, now there is a Lifetime movie in the making! Jason is a few years older than I am and lives in our parent's old house. Jason is a bit of a womanizer and not so smart. He has had his share of heartache as well. His wife, Crystal, and unborn child were murdered and hung on a cross. Jason is supernatural, or supe, as well. He, like me, is part fairy. (Oh wait, I forgot to mention that didn't I? Oops, well now you know.) A were-panther jealous over his relationship with Crystal held him hostage and repeatedly bit him. So Jason is now a panther and partially changes at every full moon. Jason was less than accepting of my relationship with my vampires for a long time. He has since settled into a life with the Hot Shot pack and has started a new family. Jason and I don't talk very often and it's probably better this way. But for all his faults, he is my brother who I love deeply.

Come to find out my Gran had been lying to Jason and I all these years. Apparently our grandfather was not our biological grandfather. It now appears our biological grandfather's name is Finton and he is a fairy. It also seems that we have other fairy relatives named Niall, Claudine, and Claude, to name a few. Unfortunately, due to some horrific events we no longer have access to them. Niall is my great grandfather and Prince of the fairies. While I was still in my 20's I was tortured by two fairy assassins who were at war with Niall. Niall and Bill rescued me from my captors before I was killed. However the war followed us to the hospital and there Claudine was killed trying to protect me. Claudine was special to me. Not only was she my cousin, but she was my fairy godmother. To make matters worse, she was pregnant at the time she was killed. After the war ended and Niall was mostly victorious he decided to close the portals between the fairy and human worlds. Claude has decided to stay here in the human world but I haven't talked to him since Claudine's death.

Once upon a time, I had a cousin named Hadley. She ran wild and left the family while I was still a teenager. Many years later, I learned that she had been made vampire by the Vampire Queen of Louisiana. And after some unfortunate events, she met her final death leaving behind a son named Hunter. I did not become aware of Hunter's existence until Hadley was already gone. With the help of my new great grandfather I was able to locate Hunter and was shocked to find out he was also telepathic. His poor father, Remy, did not know what to do with him. So for several years I worked with Hunter and his father on controlling his telepathy. Eventually it was too much for Remy to bear and Hunter came to live with me and Eric, joining our little family.

That's my small biological family in a nutshell. Sad isn't it? Luckily for me I have formed some tried and true friendships with some great people. I guess you could call these people my chosen family.

First and foremost is my childhood friend Tara. Tara is like the sister I never had. Tara also had a rough go from day one. Her mother was an abusive drunk. She spent most of her childhood at my house. After a short vampire affair she is now happily married to JB. Tara doesn't quite understand my continued love of vampire and I doubt she ever will.

My former boss Sam was a major part in my surviving young adulthood. Sam is a shifter and can turn into any animal he can imagine. His favorite form is a collie. Sam has never approved of my vampire relationships but still managed to look out for me when he can. In recent years he moved to Texas to take care of his mother after her divorce. When I mentioned to Sam my decision to become vampire, he stopped talking to me. It's been nearly a year and I miss him everyday.

Since learning of Supernatural's, I have made many remarkable friendships. In spite of this, I still only can rely on my vampires. Several weres I have met and/or dated are Alcide, Quinn and Tray. Tray is another person that made the ultimate sacrifice in defending me. He also died during the fairy war. Yet another lost life to place on my guilty conscience. Alcide and Quinn both have been crucial in protecting me over the years. Alcide is the local pack master and owns his own construction company. I can't begin to tell you how many times he has done work on my house. It seems every battle must take place in my front yard or kitchen. Quinn is a were-tiger that I once dated. What we had was hot and heavy but his commitments to his mother and sister were too much for me to bear. Quinn works as a supernatural event planner and we cross paths every now and again. Quinn is _not_ supportive of my vampire decision at all. He is convinced that one day I will return to him.

You would think that might be enough craziness in this dysfunctional family I have built, but its not. I haven't even started on my witch. Amelia has literally turned my life upside down and inside out. After meeting her on a trip to New Orleans she returned with me to Bon Temps. One time she turned her beau into a cat and her mentor Octavia had to come to the rescue. Shortly thereafter she fell in love. Amelia was preparing for a happily ever after with Tray when he died. And while I know she doesn't blame me, I can't help but blame myself.

Last but no mean least, I come to my vampires. While my life has been affected by many vampires these three are those who I call my own. It all started when Bill Compton moved across the cemetery from me and Gran. He was my first love, first lover, and my first heartache. Before Bill I never thought I would find love. It's hard to get close to someone when you can hear their thoughts. I can't tell you how many dates I had been on listening to the man think about my boobs and what he wanted to do to them. Everything hasn't been roses with Bill but he still holds a special place in my heart. I will tell you more about Bill later.

Next we have Pam. She is my best friend, sister, and mentor. She has done more for introducing me to the vampire world then the rest combined. She is always quick to give me a swift kick in the butt when I need one. And since I can be pretty stubborn -- that is quite often. Pam is not what you would expect from a vampire. Don't get me wrong she loves fighting, sex, and blood, but she prefers to dress in pastels and skirts. I met Pam when Bill took me to Fangtasia to do some investigating on those dead girls. Pam was working the door, dressed in typical vampire attire. Come to find out she was part owner of Fangtasia along with her Sire, Eric.

Eric. What is there to say about the man who has given me the world? In the beginning I was torn between my love for Bill and my infatuation for Eric. Through actions more than words, I learned that Eric loved me as much as a vampire can love a human. Over the years he has done everything from taking bullets for me to fixing my driveway to buying me a new winter coat. Eric is by no means perfect and comes with a lot of faults. He is high handed, stubborn, and a know-it-all. Yet at the same time he is passionate, loyal, and genuine. While he may hide the truth from me, I know he will never lie to me. It took me a long time to come to terms with my feelings for Eric and my decision to become vampire starts and ends with him.

**A/N: Keep reading Chapter 1 is already here!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks again to Sunkisz, LaniLani26 and Dancinchick 32 for their help with this story.**

**Again all characters belong to the brilliant Charlaine Harris.**

**Chapter 1 – The Aftermath (13 years ago)**

After the fairy war left me beaten and broken, I was ready to shut down and block out the world. Of course, those around me would hear of no such thing. My house was a constant stream of activity. A contractor fixing the house, family and friends taking care of me and the list goes on. It was all I could do to keep my sanity and accept the help that wasn't wanted. After a trying day of people constantly in and out of my house, it was dinner time and my house was still full of people. Amelia, Sam, Eric, Pam, Jason and Tara were all in my kitchen planning the next day. I know it's not her fault but my roommate Amelia is such a loud broadcaster that I just couldn't take it anymore and I lost it.

"That's it! I'm leaving." I looked over at Eric sitting at the kitchen table. "Eric, I accept your offer to come stay at your house."

That shut everyone up only to be met a moment later with everyone trying to speak at once. I only heard one voice through the chaos.

"Of course, Lover, let's go." No sooner than the words were out of his mouth than I was in his car and on my way to his house.

In the quiet of his car, with his thumb stroking the palm of my hand, I finally found some peace. I was asleep before we were out of Bon Temps. The drive to Shreveport normally takes about an hour's time. But with Eric afraid I would change my mind and his immortal life of no concern, we made it in 20 minutes.

The next thing I knew Eric was laying me down on a large four poster bed. The mattress was the softest I had ever felt and the sheets were like silk on my skin. Looking around his bedroom, it was not at all what I had expected to see. The wood was dark but the walls were a soothing blue color and the bedding was all white. I commented on this and he explained he had recently redecorated the room. It appears he wanted it to be more to my tastes as he hoped I would one day visit his home. Eric spent the remainder of the evening pampering me and seeing to my every need. As dawn approached I asked him to hold me and fell asleep in his arms.

I woke the next evening with Eric weaving his fingers in my hair as he looked off into the distance. Once he noticed I was awake he placed a tender kiss on my lips. I sighed and looked up into his brilliant blue eyes.

Eric continued to play with my hair until my tummy rumbled with hunger pains. He quickly scooped me up and carried me to the kitchen. Before I knew it, I ate an entire serving of pasta and was then sitting on the couch.

Eric looked at me like he was burning to ask something.

"Dear one, I have helped to heal your body and now wish to help you heal your mind. There is only so much my blood can do and it pains me that it can't do more," he stated. "Please talk to me and tell me what I can do. You are still my beautiful lover and I want nothing more than to see you whole again."

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding as a tear slide down my cheek.

"I don't know what to say Eric. You know what those bastards did to me. Every time I close my eyes I see their sharp teeth covered in my blood. I hear their laughter as they violated me, and I remember my pleas for you to come save me."

Unable to look him in the eye, I continue, "I know now that you were unable to come to my side and sent those that could. But the pain of your absence was almost enough to do me in."

I look up and see his eyes rimmed with red tears threatening to spill down his face. I reach over and grab his hands into mine and made him look at me. "I know the King would not allow you to come to my aid and that you sent me all the strength you could. I know now that you _are _the reason I survived."

"It's just with all the deaths that I have caused and the memories of my torture I don't know what to do. I know Amelia doesn't blame me for Tray's death, but I don't see how she doesn't. And to see everyone fawning all over me, while she has suffered so much just isn't fair. Don't they know they should all run from me? Because all I seem to bring to those I love is death and destruction. For God's sake Claudine was pregnant and died protecting me!" I cried.

Eric cupped my face in his hand, wiping a tear from my cheek. "Lover, they all knew what they were getting in to and gladly gave their lives in your service. You are not the cause of this, your great-grandfather and his enemies are to blame. Your friends and loved ones all see what I see. We see a remarkable lady who is destined for great things. How could we not come to your aid when you needed it?"

"What am I going to do Eric? I feel like I am losing my mind," I sobbed.

"You don't have to do anything dear one. Stay here and let me take care of you," he said.

"I can't do that forever. I have bills to pay and work to do," I whined.

"Forever can wait. You are safe here. Stay and heal. We will worry about the rest later."

"Easy for you to say, you have forever," I mumbled as I curled up into his lap, wishing that I really did have forever.

At the time, I didn't realize that I would never return to my house in Bon Temps. Well not to live anyways. Eric was slowly becoming my life and my rock. Looking back on it, this was the beginning, the beginning of the journey to my immortal life. By Eric simply holding me and listening to me, I understood that everything would be alright as long as we were together. It still took me twelve years and many more life changing events to come to that decision.

**A/N: Please, please, please I beg...leave a review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Loads of thanks to VampLover1 for being my awesome beta on this. From her I might actually learn a thing or two about grammar. I would also like to thank LaniLani26 for her content proofing and suggestions. Thanks! **

**Again all characters belong to Charlaine Harris. Well, except Gaston, I guess I will take credit for him.**

_Previously:_

"_What am I going to do, Eric? I feel like I am losing my mind," I sobbed._

"_You don't have to do anything, dear one. Stay here and let me take care of you," he said._

"_I can't do that forever. I have bills to pay and work to do," I whined._

"_Forever can wait. You are safe here. Stay and heal. We will worry about the rest later."_

"_Easy for you to say, you have forever," I mumbled as I curled up into his lap, wishing that I really did have forever._

_At the time, I didn't realize that I would never return to my house in Bon Temps. Well, not to live, anyway. Eric was slowly becoming my life and my rock. Looking back on it, this was the beginning, the beginning of the journey to my immortal life. By Eric simply holding me and listening to me, I understood that everything would be alright as long as we were together. It still took me twelve years and many more life changing events to come to that decision. _

**Chapter 2 – Friend of the Pack (12 years ago)**

About a year after moving in with Eric, I finally realized that everyone is out for something. And most times, that's themselves. During my introduction to the supernatural world I managed to become a "friend of the pack" to both the Long Tooth pack and the Hotshot pack. Of course these "friends" have come with a price.

Alcide Herveaux is the current Pack Master of the Long Tooth Pack. Our history goes way back. If things were a little different, I very well could have ended up with him. I sometimes wonder what that would have been like. Being that he is a Were and not a vampire means we could have had children. He would have been able to have spent time out in the sun with me, even had breakfast with me. But I knew when I was forced to kill his crazy on again/off again girlfriend, Debbie, that we could never be. While he said he didn't love her, I knew he would never stand for the actions I had to take. To this day he doesn't know the real story of what happened. Like I said before, after coming to live with Eric I learned that everyone is out for themselves. Alcide has not been afraid to ask for my telepathic services in the past and certainly didn't mind asking for them again. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but he wanted me to read the mind of a rogue pack member. Due to the nature of this reading it had to be done right away. Since it was during the afternoon, I didn't have time to alert Eric to where I was going, so I would have to go alone.

"Hurry Sookie, we've got to go!" Alcide yelled up the stairs at me.

"I'm coming Alcide, I need to leave a note for Eric," I yelled back.

"There's no time Sookie, we have to go now!"

"Fine, I will send him a message from the car," I sighed.

I came down the stairs dressed in black slacks and a blue button-down shirt. I wasn't sure how to dress for this but figured this outfit would cover several different situations. In my experience, it has been necessary to wear clothes that allow for quick movements and which hide blood stains. I followed Alcide to his truck and we climbed in to start the drive to Shreveport.

"So, what has this Were done this time?" I asked Alcide.

"I don't want to tell you, Sookie. I want you to go into this with an open mind," he replied.

"But Alcide, how will I know what I am looking for if you don't tell me? You think I wouldn't agree to this if I knew, don't you?"

"I won't lie to you Sookie, this will be difficult for you. But I don't see another way to get the information I need," Alcide explained.

"Well it's too late now for me to back out. So why don't you just go on to tell me what I need to know but won't want to hear," I spat out.

"This Were, we think he is responsible for the kidnapping and torture of some local college girls. And yes, it appears the torture included rape. I know this is going to be hard for you. But we really need to know whether he is guilty of this. If he is, the pack will see to it that justice is done. If not, I don't know what we will do, cause that means the real assailant is still out there," he stated.

How could he ask me to do this? Doesn't he know that I still can't sleep without nightmares of my own torture? That the only thing keeping me sane is Eric? Does he not care about how this will affect me at all?

After I take a few moments to calm myself down I say, "Well, are you certain a Were is behind these attacks?"

"I wish it weren't true Sookie, but yes it's a Were. Some of the marks on the victims can only be done by a Were's claws. There is also one victim who survived the attacks enough to give us a brief description. She stated that his eyes were glowing and his body seemed to be covered in hair. We just need to know the 'who' now and it will be taken care of."

I saw that we were on the outskirts of Shreveport and remained quiet for the rest of the trip. I was so lost in my thoughts, I forgot to send Eric a text message.

The next thing I knew, we were pulling up to a warehouse on the industrial side of town. I got out of the truck and followed Alcide into the building. I was shocked by what I found inside. What appeared to be the whole pack was circling around a Were tied to a chair in the middle of the room. He had been beaten severely and was partially transformed. I gasped at the sight of him.

Alcide quietly cursed to himself. He took my hand and said, "We have given him some drugs from Dr. Ludwig that will keep him from transforming any further. You will be safe."

Alcide moved us to the center of the room and asked for a chair to be brought for me. I motioned for them to move the chair directly in front of him and then sat down.

"What's his name?" I asked the room.

Someone barked out, "Gaston."

I started slowly. "Gaston, can you hear me?"

After a few quick moments of nothing, I lightly touched his leg. At this simple gesture his head rolled to the side so he was looking at me.

"Do you know why you are here? Of what you are accused of doing?" I asked.

Gaston simply growled at me.

As he did this I got a flood of pictures of what he did to each and every one of those girls. After what seemed like hours, I tasted something salty on my lips and realized tears were rolling down my face.

Before I could say anything he picked up his head and looked me in the eyes. "I bet you taste sweet. Wanna let me go for a ride?"

Appalled by his comments I quickly stood up, knocking the chair back onto the floor. Alcide moved to my side to help me, but I fell to my knees as waves of thoughts overtook me. This time they featured what he wanted to do to me.

Everything seemed to slow down as Gaston broke free of his ties and finished his transformation. All hell broke loose. Weres, humans, and partially transformed Weres were moving towards Gaston.

Suddenly I was thrown back and hit the wall with a loud thud. As I fell to the floor, I felt an immense amount of anger. Eric must be awake. Since moving into his house a year ago I hadn't been away from him for a single night. I called out to him to let him know I loved him, as my world faded to black.

"Sookie, Sookie, wake up Lover. Sookie _please_ wake up," I heard Eric cry.

I noticed more murmurs around me. "Is she dead?" someone asked.

"NO!" Eric bellowed. "Leave us alone. Pam you can stay."

"What have you learned from the surviving Weres?" he asked Pam.

"Gaston was accused of kidnapping and torturing several college girls. While speaking to him, Sookie touched him and chaos ensued. What Sookie didn't have time to find out was that Gaston is Alcide's cousin. Apparently the drugs that Dr. Ludwig gave them would have prevented his transformation if Alcide had given him the full dose."

She went on to say, "Alcide had known that Gaston was guilty but wanted to give him a chance to escape. He was apparently supposed to escape before Alcide arrived with Sookie. However, Gaston heard of our dear Sookie and wanted a taste for himself."

"What!" I said as I bolted up from where I was laying. "Alcide _knew_ all along that this might happen? He told me I would be safe!" I yelled out. "All those images, the girls with torn flesh, tied up like slabs of beef and being raped, was for nothing?"

Eric quickly took me in his arms. "All will be okay. I will see to it that Alcide pays for his actions. Of course his pack may take care of that for me. This is no way to treat a friend of the pack."

I realized I was growing in my acceptance of the Supe world and its sense of justice as I nodded my head in agreement.

"What? No argument? No pleas for his life?" Eric questioned.

"No Eric, I am done being used. He purposely put me in harm's away...again," I said. "Just let me know when the punishment is decided and carried out."

Eric gave instructions to Pam before we returned home. Eric took care of me that night in every way. The nightmares were worse than ever, but I knew Eric would do everything in his power to keep me safe. I did learn a valuable lesson and will never go anywhere again without Eric knowing.

Alcide was not killed for his betrayal but was forced to leave Louisiana forever. He was also told to not step foot in any of Eric's territories or else face certain death.

I wish I could say that was the end of my Were issues. Shortly after healing from this encounter I was called upon by Calvin Norris, Pack Master of the Hotshot pack. Over the years, Calvin had hoped that I would be persuaded by his pursuit and would "mate" with him. The Hotshot pack was suffering from years of inbreeding and needed fresh blood. Even though he was married to Tanya he still kept up the chase. Apparently the pack was so desperate that the males of the pack were allowed to take as many mates as they saw fit.

Calvin requested the use of my services by escorting him to a summit the Louisiana Weres were holding in Baton Rogue. When I told him that I would only attend if Eric came with me, he was less than pleased. I guess having a Vampire Sheriff in attendance was not something they would accept. So, when I politely declined, he took offense and banished my brother from his Pack. Jason had been running with his pack since he was bitten by one of its members. Because Jason is a bitten Were, he has a hard time being accepted by a pack, even the Hotshot one. Since the fiasco with Alcide, the Long Tooth Pack had been trying to return to my good graces. I was able to arrange for Jason to run with them during the full moon. While he will never be accepted as a full pack member, they at least provide him some safety while out running. I wish I could give more to my brother but at least I can help insure his safety.

**A/N: ...leave a review...please?**


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